The TellTale Heart
by NightmareSelene
Summary: Sequel to Winner Take What's Left.Trigon has lost half of his power, and he wants it back.When he finds it is on earth,he goes to retrieve it,only to find it has fallen into the hands of the Teen Titans and his daughter Raven.Lots of Poe references.
1. The Loser with Nothing to Gain

NS: Heylo again! Another fic! But this is a sequel so it shouldn't really count...okay, here's the full summary:

Summary: Trigon has lost half of his power, and he'll search every dimension to find it...When he discovers it is on earth, he travels there to retrieve it, only to find it has fallen into the hands of the Teen Titans, and his daughter, Raven...

NS: Also, be fore-warned; there is some humor, though mostly dry humor, in this fic. The reason: every serious TT episode, except for maybe Apprentice, had some humor in it to lighten the mood. There will be less in the more intense chaps, but I felt I should tell you ahead of time so you don't harp on me for not putting it as a humor genre. Anyway, on with the disclaimer:

Disclaimer: I own not the Teen Titans or it's characters, etc, however, the idea of this fic and Winner Take What's Left belongs solely to me, and if you steal it, I get to chop off your head, sell it on ebay, kidnap your mother and sue your 5th cousin twice removed. Any questions? Good, on with the fic!

The Tell-Tale Heart

Ch.1:

The Loser with Nothing to Gain

The Teen Titans, now all returned from the clutches of the Master of Games, sat and chatted with Speedy and Aqualad, who'd decided to pay a visit.

"...And then I broke her illusion and defeated her." Raven finished her story in her usual monotone, giving it less flare than it deserved: it was a rather interesting battle, but she undermined it dramatically.

"Yes, the manipulator of nightmares was quite skilled; she was able to resurrect creatures that much resembled those of the scary television programs that Beast Boy watches." Starfire added with a shiver.

"Dude, she created zombies" Beast Boy shouted, at which Starfire nodded. "Wicked..."

"In the end, was she a friend? Her and her sister, Reverie, was it? Could be valuable allies to us." Robin asked.

"She was okay in the end, I guess. She seemed to not hold any grudges." Raven answered as a knock came to the large, metal doors.

"I got it" Cyborg said, jumping up to answer it. The doors slid open to reveal a girl. "Who are"

"No time: our planet is in danger." The girl said, brushing past him.

Cyborg did not like her answer, retorting"Say what! Who in the world do you think you"

"Nightmare" Raven said with the slightest hint of surpirise in her voice. "What's wrong? Why are you here"

Nightmare held out her hand, revealing it's contents to be a large ruby shard.

"Hey, wait a second, isn't that" Cyborg was once again cut short.

"The Master of Games' ruby...what happened? Where did you find it" Robin interrogated roughly, not giving her a chance to answer one question at a time.

"I'm not sure...but I don't think the entirity of the last batch made it out." Nightmare replied nonchalantly.

"What do you mean 'the last batch'" Speedy asked, joining the conversation.

"I think they were villains, but I can't be sure." She said in a serious tone, gazing at the jewel as if to unlock it's secrets with a mere thought.

"That would explain the powerful demonic aura around it...may I" Raven asked, holding out her hand. Nightmare nodded and held it out for her to take. As she touched the jewel she gasped, retracting her hand and backing away. "Trigon"

"You speak of the demon father I projected an image of during the final tournament round, do you not" Nightmare asked, Raven nodded in response.

"Woah, hold the phone...I thought we beat that guy already" Cyborg yelled, waving his arms around.

"Yeah, he was the big red creepy dude in your head" Beast Boy added, equally surprised.

"That was only his influence, his physical form still exists outside this world...and he is much stronger than anyone can imagine..." Raven trailed off, musing about her evil father.

"Even if she wishes not to accept it, Raven's father's blood is coursing through her veins, and as long as that is so, he has a chance at existence." Nightmare said to the other Titans, who nodded.

"Funny, you seem to know alot about me for someone I just met..." Raven said suspiciously, eyeing her warily.

"The first thing I do when I meet someone is to assess their fears. That tells me alot about them. Exactly half the structure of their personality; the dark half, naturally." Nightmare replied, remaining standing as most of the other Titans took a seat.

"What do I fear" Speedy asked in an overly-suave tone, wagging his eyebrows.

"I suggest you fear me taking one of those arrows and doing something rather impaling upon you." Nightmare answered dangerously, at which the agile archer backed away slowly.

"Oh, just what we need: a battle-thirsty 'kirau' with a sadistic personality." Raven replied with dry humor, gaining a slightly amused look from the girl she'd just insulted.

"Watch yourself, sorceress, this 'battle-thirsty kirau' has a bad side." Was her amused reply: no anger was evident in her tone.

"Where's your good side, by the way" Raven asked.

"Yes, where is the dream-manipulator? Her powers...intrigue me" Starfire looked around for odd glances, and when she saw none, assumed she used the correct Earthly term.

"On a date with some preppy surfer-guy...I don't know why she insists on dating at such a young age...it irks me...she has to beg me not to interrogate them using torture methods..." A fanged, wicked grin spread across Nightmare's pallid lips. "She never lets me have any fun anymore...except for when they break up with her...then they're fair game."

"But if she has powers like you say she has, why wouldn't she do it herself" Aqualad asked nosily.

"She's kinda...erm...what's the least degrading way to say this...cautious? She isn't exactly a fan of her own powers: she likes to use them in small doses." Nightmare replied.

"Well honestly, I don't think it would kill you to tone yours down a bit." Raven retorted icily.

"If it weren't for my...how do some put it...rash actions, she'd be 6 feet under and I'd be in a matchbox burning in Hell." Nightmare replied. "Now, onto the matter of Trigon..."

Before she could finish, a tremor shook the ground, startling the Titans. Robin checked his scanner and located the source. Tension filled the air; everyone knew what was coming...Trigon. He was here...it had to be...

"Titans, go" He shouted, leading them out the door.

"I guess we should tag along." Aqualad said to Speedy, who nodded.

"Ditto." Nightmare replied, following them out the door.

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NS: Now would be a great time for me to leave you, but there was so much useless banter in this chap that I shall continue a bit.

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The Titans, expecting to see a massive crimson demon shouting things like 'Rage shall consume you.' were rather relieved, for lack of a better word, to see it was Cinderblock, robbing a bank.

"You're telling me that a giant rock wants over 50,000 dollars worth of bonds and gold...for what, may I ask? _Plaster?_" Nightmare mocked as they arrived at the scene.

"He works for Slade...meaning the money is probably going to fund a massively destructive weapon." Robin retorted, clearly annoyed at how this girl treated villains; with insults and over-confidence.

"Oh, in that case, I guess we should stop him. You guys are in charge around here, so, start barking orders or I'll just stand by and watch." Nightmare practically commanded, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Fine" Robin barked. "Star, Beast Boy, get the money"

The two addressed Titans nodded, flying into the air. Starfire charged her starbolts and fired directly at the chest of the massive mutant, knocking him back and causing him to drop the large bags of gold and bonds he was carrying. Morphing into a Pteradactyl, Beast Boy swooped down and grabbed the bags within his long beak. He flew in the other direction, dropping the bags nearly on top of Nightmare; she had to move slightly to the left to avoid being smushed.

"Hey! I'm not the villain here" She shouted at the changling, who gave her a lop-sided grin.

"Then prove it and show a little effort to help, would you" Robin snapped; he was clearly in a very hissy, riled up mood.

"Well, jeez! All you had to do was ask" Nightmare huffed, walking strait in front of Cinderblock, who had just regained his balance and was staring around stupidly for the money. "This ought to hold you" She threw her arms up into the air, and as if pulled up by invisible wire, giant black, thorny roots spewed out of the pavement and wrapped tightly around the large villain. He writhed and struggled against the binds, but that only worsened his predicament, causing peices of rock to crack and chip away frow his body.

The Titans stared, wide-eyed, for a few seconds, amazed at how quickly and easily she had restrained the beast.

"There, happy" She said scathingly, walking past them. "You may want to call the police, those vines won't hold him for very long. I'm off to find my sister." She took off, jogging down the street in pursuit of the movie theatre.

"Hey, guys! Need my help" Terra asked, floating over on a large boulder to join the battle, only to discover it was already over. "I guess not...Who did that"

"A girl. Named Nightmare, but we have more important things to worry about." Raven replied shortly, levitating into the air. "We have to get back to the tower and prepare for Trigon."

With that, all the Titans headed back to their home to get ready for the unspeakable evil that was about to arrive on their planet...

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NS: Yes, this was a pretty weak chapter, but hey, it was like an introduction. Just wait to see what I have in store for the Trigon battles! And don't you just hate Nightmare? She's really powerful, so I had to give her a downside: she has the personality of a viper, and not in the good sense. Robin hates her, as you can see, and Raven has difficulty not lashing out at her. But anyway, the story is about to unfold, so stick around!


	2. Red Death Awaits

NS: All I have to say for an intro is "WOW". I had my story up for less than 10 hours and I am swamped with reviews! I love you all! Thank you for being so forgiving, because it really was just the messy, boring intro. I can't believe some of you actually like Nightmare! I purposely made her annoying as hell so she wouldn't become a "Mary Sue" character. She is mildly tollerated, making her not-so-loveable. Anyway, you aren't here to read my intros, so, on with the fic! Oh, but before I forget...I did as much research on Trigon as I could manage, and, naturally, I found little, so as for his powers...I'm being inventive. The comics didn't tell me much and neither did the series, so I'm working on a long-shot here. Please be forgiving! hardly convincing pouty face And, sorry for not updating for a LONG time: my pc was de-boed by my mom.

The TellTale Heart

Ch. 2

Red Death Awaits

Trigon roamed a deserted dimensional plain, his only company was his determination and his only guides were his demonic instincts. He could feel his power eminating from the object which he sought. Far, it was very far. Dimensions and eternities away. But he had to get it. What was a demon worth when stripped of his very soul? Nothing. His goddom and reign would be shattered, yet there was no kingdom to notice, no kingdom to care. The Earth was to be his kingdom. A plot that had long since simmered out and died, though the thought still remained. His daughter was the key...Raven was his only link to the mortal world...but not anymore. The Master of Games, fearful of the demon's power, had carelessly disreguarded him, leaving him free to roam the dimensions of space and time. Now the malice could be re-kindled and the plot executed. But first, his power must be found, and so, he pressed onward towards the faint pulse of his own essence traveling across the galaxy to reach out and summon him. His power acted as if it had a mind of it's own; it wanted to return. A soul is no use without a body, and the jewel was no consolation.

At long last, Trigon entered a swirling vortex that led strait to the Master of Game's own dimension. He stormed into the Hall, his massive feet forming craters in the tile floors. He followed the scent until he came across the jewel. Broken. It was _broken._ A mere fragment. Could this be all he needed? Trigon picked up the jewel between his large, crimson fingers and peered at it. He would feel insulted if all of his power could be housed in such a small object. Scoffing, he allowed the jewel to levitate in front of his eyes.

"Release the power you imprison, I command you." As if following orders, the jewel glowed brightly and burst into a spectrum of colors, some of which his Trigon in the chest like a laser. He barely flinched, allowing the warm, tingling sensation to take over his body. His power, the power he sought was not all there. A meager portion. The rest...where was the rest! He knew he had to keep searching, but before he could, the remainder of the light began to take shape in front of him. A human-like structure with...wings. The colors began to fade with the light, and all that remained were Trigon and Killer Moth. The now colorless jewel fell to the floor and turned to stone before become a pile of ash upon the tile.

"You have released me, great one." Killer Moth said uneasily, trying to find the perfect way to address the situation.

"You will take me to Earth. That is where I shall find what I seek." Trigon roared, startling the lesser villain.

"Well, the last time I travelled in outer space was never, so I don't exactly-"

"Silence, you grovelling insect!" The demon boomed, causing Moth to yelp a quiet, 'Yessir.' "Take me to Earth. I would just as quickly leave you here, but you may prove to be useful."

Nothing more was said as the two made their way through another vortex that led to a strangely windy dimension. The ground was only course sand, and Trigon sank ankle-deep with each step while Killer Moth struggled to fly against the gale-force winds. Both were silently pleased after finding the exit, which led to a less windy and rockier terrain. There were huge mountains in the distance, and craters littered the barren landscape.

"I never imagined inter-dimensional travel being so...exotic." Moth said against his better judgement, breaking the nearly hour-long silence.

"Some are more complex. We need not enter those to reach Earth." Trigon replied, eyeing a crater that, instead of a jagged pit, held a mirror-like inner surface. Through it could be seen a small red planet with two tinier entities circling it.

"That's Mars, Earth is next to it." Killer Moth pointed, then looked back and forth from the planet to Trigon. "Seems like your kind of planet." He muttered, noticing how well the landscape matched the demon's skin tone.

His demon ears not missing a word, Trigon shoved Moth into the crater and soon followed his screams through the glass, causing it to ripple in an other-worldly fashion. Once they passed, it stilled.

This doorway was different from the others. It seemed more like a portal than a vortex. The world around them was pure and pale blue, swirling with white stars. They floated down as if in suspended animation, a slight, eerie breeze blowing slowly around them. Strait ahead they could see the other side of the mirror that showed Mars, just as the one before it. Killer Moth hesitantly floated through, finding himself staring at the massive blood-red planet before him.

"Wait..." He stalled, whipping around and taking in every surrounding. "How are we breathing!"

Trigon sighed and shook his head. "We are in an inter-dimensional hallway of sorts. There is an invisible barrier around us that has oxygen enough to breathe. I am not so stupid as to enter a vaccuum where we couldn't breathe."

Killer Moth nodded half-way, not fully grasping what he'd said. Trigon seemed to notice this, and shook his head once again, muttering something along the lines of, "Inferior half-wit."

* * *

"So Raven's _dad_ is coming here to get _that_?" Terra asked, pointing to the ruby shard on the table before her.

"Pretty much." Robin said lightly from his seat at the nearby table as he tapped his foot nervously. He gritted his teeth and let out a low growl of frustration. "Trigon could be on his way and we can't do anything but sit and wait!"

"Fear not, Robin, we shall attempt vanquish Trigon when he arrives." Starfire said reassuringly, floating over to his side.

Soon after, there was loud banging at the steel door of their tower. Cyborg ran over and opened the door, at which Nightmare burst into the room while her sister followed shyly and gracefully behind.

"I _told _you Rev, you _have_ to help, we _need_ your powers!" Nightmare argued roughly, brushing past Cyborg and continuing into the room. Once in the main living room, she stopped and turned to her sister. "Countless lives are at stake!"

"If I'm not careful I could end up being the cause of death, sis!" She shouted back, though she sounded more desperate than angry. "You know what happens if I go to far, I can't control the harder stuff!"

"Jesus, Reverie, it's not rocket science! Maybe if you _practiced_, we wouldn't be having this conversation!" Nightmare huffed, causing all the Titans to turn and watch. "You don't have to sell your soul for control, just take the time to nurture it."

"Nurture? _Nurture! _Why do yet get it easy? You have the _evil_ powers! The 'easily corrupted' powers. _You_ should be the one suffering from lack of control. _You're_ tell _me _to nurture _my_ powers? Why don't you nurture this!" In a fit of rage not expected from such a calm and composed girl, Reverie threw a palm-sized blue pearl at her sister and it burst open, creating a large white tiger out of the mist it exherted. The cat pounced at it's target, fangs bared.

"Reverie, no!" Nightmare called, throwing her arm up to shield herself from the attack. It was a near-feeble attempt, and she grimaced in pain as it's jaws locked around her arm, crunching through the flesh, muscle and bone. She retaliated by throwing her own black orb at the creature with her free hand, which then became wrapped in a snake-style dragon. She yelped when the cat bit down harder, but finally it could no longer breathe and evaporated into the mist that had created it along with her own creature.

Reverie stood, panting and staring with a look of sheer terror at what she'd just done.

Nightmare seethed and clutched her bleeding arm, which was still covered by the sleeve of her trademark trenchcoat. "The only...control you lack...is that of your...emotions, Reverie." She said, her voice shaking with pain and clearly restrained anger. She partially blamed herself for pushing her sister too hard on the subject, but still, her sister did have her temper tantrums which seldom ended without bloodshed.

"We need to get you to a hospital." Robin said slowly and carefully, getting up from his chair.

"Oh, come off it, I don't need a freaking doctor." Nightmare said dismissively, watching her blood drip onto the tile floor. Suddenly the blood began to drip backwards, returning to her arm as if the image were being rewound in a VCR. Once all traces were gone from the floor, she pulled back her sleeve and watched as the puncture wounds slowly filled and faded. "That's gonna leave a mark..."

"I-I'm sorry..." Reverie said quietly, shaking violently in fear of her own lack of control. She was just glad her sister hadn't sent a fire-breathing dragon or something else that had a tendency to be bloodthirtsy after her. Though her sister would surely lash out at anyone else, she was understanding and overly lenient with her own blood relatives, and even Reverie knew that was the only reason she was still standing with all of her limbs.

"Eh, I probably prodded the sleeping beast a bit too hard." Nightmare said with a wink. "So anyway, we did come here for a legitamite reason." She said, turning to the Titans. "We found out the location of another jewel shard."

* * *

"Home, sweet home." Killer Moth said with the slightest bit of sarcasm as they approached a large oval mirror which depicted Earth and the moon.

"Raven, do you know of her? Where is it that she resides?" Trigon demanded impatiently, gripping Moth's neck tightly and lifting up to his eye-level.

"Yes...J-Jump Ci-City. In a giant T-T...she's a Teen Titan..." He strained, wriggling in the demon's iron grasp. "I c-can't b-breathe!"

"Jump City then..." He said in a low growl, tossing Moth into the portal and completely ignoring his screams. "Soon, my daughter, I will regain my power...and claim yours..."

* * *

NS: Yep, that's all for now. New chappie will be up soon. I left ya with a bit of a cliff-hanger here, didn't I? dramatic announcer voice Where is the other jewel shard? Will Trigon gain his power back? Can the Teen Titans stop him? cough, cough Well, you'll have to wait and find out! But for now, Ciao! 


	3. The Storm Before the Storm

NS: Howdy! So...there was a cliffhanger...two, actually. Oh, a note for this and later chapters: flashbacks are completely italicized just so you know. I was watching Big Fish today and I decided to try the whole 'narrarated flash-back thing'. Please let me know how I did! Yes, well, I best continue before the bloodthirsty Mary-Sue OCs and letter bombs start showing up at my door a 3a.m. So, on with the fic.

The Tell-Tale Heart

Ch. 3

The Storm Before the Storm

"A man has it...kinda creepy, deep voice, hidden lair, black and orange mask get-up..." Nightmare explained, describing the person she'd seen with the jewel.

"Slade!" Robin said, standing up once again and balling his fists with gritted teeth.

"Wait a second...how exactly did you get into his lair?" Raven asked suspiciously. "Then again, how did you even find it; we've been tracking him for weeks with no results."

"Sis sniffed it out!" Reverie said proudly, only to have her head pushed down by Nightmare.

"Shush!" She said. The Titans could've sworn she was _blushing_.

"You _sniffed_ it out?" Beast Boy repeated, struggling to control his laughter. "Dude, how could _you_ have a better sense of smell than _me_?"

Nightmare only stared at her sister with a look of annoyance.

"Oh, come on sis, it's nothing to be embarrassed about!" Reverie teased.

"I'm _not_ embarrassed." She snarled lowly.

"Suuuuure..." She chimed. "It's the demon and Vampire in her. She has better senses than most animals."

"Hahaha! Did you have to get on your hands and knees and track it like a dog?" Beast Boy mocked, turning into a dog and howling before returning to human form and bursting into a fit of laughter, clutching his stomach.

"I don't _grovel _like a worthless _pet_." Nightmare snapped, causing him to whimper. "Unlike animals, I can follow scents in the air; I don't need to depend on scents left behind on objects."

"Sweet." Speedy said, nodding as if listening to music.

"Anyway, we followed the jewel's aura to this underground lair, tried to take it, etc. etc.-"

"Nearly got our hands burned off!" Reverie added.

"Yeah...lasers...good security system...so, we go to take the jewel, and we hear a voice behind us."

_"What do you think you're doing?" The voice echoed in a suggestive tone; more amused than surprised or angry._

_"Taking this jewel shard; it's of no use to you." Nightmare replied nonchalantly, snatching the jewel from it's case. An alarm sounded and the dimly lit room now flashed red. "Reverie, wait for me outside."_

_"Right!" She replied, exiting the same way they'd entered._

"I told Rev to get out and wait for me. I didn't think it would take long; one guy...a human...I didn't know he'd be so skilled..."

_Nightmare jumped back into the shadows and perched herself upon a steel rafter near the ceiling. She gave herself two options: one, she could escape unseen or two, she could fight and then escape. Slade did not allow her to choose, for much to her surprise, he followed her and jumped from rafter to rafter looking for her. Nightmare hid close to the wall and turned to her right to look for him._

"He surprised me; cornered me." Nightmare explained.

_"I believe you have something of mine..." Slade said suddenly, now standing strait in front of her. She gasped despite herself and clutched the jewel, attempting to inconspicuously slip it into her pocket. Slade mustv'e noticed, because he gripped her wrist and pulled it toward him, struggling to do so as she pulled away. "I don't think so...I have plans for the power inside this gem."_

_"So you know!" Nightmare growled back, tugging against his vice-grip. "This is demonic power that should not be tampered with by anyone, much less the likes of you!"_

_She brought her leg up to his temple, but he proved to be too quick and grabbed her ankle before it struck. _

_"Then neither should the likes of you." Slade said in a cocky manner, smirking beneath his mask._

"He tried to take the jewel, but I didn't give it up very easily." Nightmare said, clenching her fists.

_She tried to pull her leg back, but failed to free it from his grasp. 'Well this is awkward...' She thought: both her left arm and her right leg were in his grip. In a desperate move she prayed he wouldn't drop her and lifted her left leg, kicking him in his common peronial. He growled in pain and surprise as she flipped over him in mid-air and landed back on the rafter on top of him as he lay on his back._

_"'Seems I have the advantage now." Nightmare smirked. Her little manuever had not only landed her on top of Slade, but she had successfully released her leg from his grasp, though her wrist was still in his possession._

_"Things are not always as they seem." Slade replied cooly before flipping over her and sending them both plummeting to the floor. Nightmare looked worriedly over her shoulder and tried to formulate an escape. Once again Slade made the choice for her and launched off of her, flipping and landing gracefully ahead of her. Nightmare was forced to roll backwards in order to break her fall._

_"Well I still have the-" Nightmare stopped and looked for the jewel, but it was no longer in her hand._

_Slade smirked under his mask and waved the gem tauntingly. "Not anymore...you might want to hurry outside, though; my security robots are probably already disassembling your sister. Farewell." With a sinister chuckle and a two-finger salute he disappeared into the shadows._

"He had already left once I'd returned to look for him." Nightmare sighed. "He'd taken everything and relocated. We mustv'e taken too long with the robots...or really _I_ took too long because I didn't get a smidgen of help from _somebody..._"

Nightmare looked suggestively at her sister.

"I helped!" Reverie retaliated defensively, putting her hands on her hips.

"Really?" Nightmare said with sarcasm, mockingly placing her own hands on her hips. "Because from what I remember the only finger quotes'help'end finger quotes I got was from a few _very_ distracting-what were they-fairies?"

Reverie pouted, blushing. "I thought they would be more helpful...your summons are always helpful."

"Yes, but my summons don't have butterfly wings and wear tutus!" Nightmare countered, causing some of the Titans to laugh.

"Do you know where he went?" Robin asked seriously, causing everyone to notice that he'd sat back down.

"If we did, we wouldn't have come back empy handed." Nightmare set in a matter-of-factly yet unhappy tone.

"All right, we know _where _it is..." Raven said. "Now we just wait."

* * *

Trigon floated through the vortex, psychically commanding it to let out at Jump City. He hadn't used one of the portals in centuries, and he wasn't sure if they could still be commanded to warp themselves by command of their user. He was most pleased, however, when he came to the exit to find himself on top of a skyscraper overlooking the ocean and an island with a giant T on top: Titan's Tower...

* * *

NS: Tada! That be all for now. Soon the action will begin! I hope you enjoyed Reverie's little outburst in the last chapter, by the way! Didn't pay alot of attention to Trigon and K.M. this chapter. But just you wait...I have much in store for them, and Slade! hopes her fans are drooling Well, I'm off to write more...toodlies! 


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